Ready4Reading Evidence Portfolio
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Literature Review: Foundational Research Underlying Ready4Reading
Building on this theory of action, the following section summarizes the foundational research that serves as the empirical basis for the Ready4Reading program. Broadly, this section seeks to provide an overview of the research germane to the primary instructional components of Ready4Reading as well as its overarching pedagogical approach. Organized around Ready4Reading’s five primary instructional goals, these sections first summarize the research specific to these areas, and then are followed by an accompanying section that describes the specific program components within Ready4Reading that correspond with this research (“Ready4Reading Research Alignment ”) 2 . Conclusions and recommendations for future research directions are provided at the close of these sections.
Systematic, Explicit Phonics Instruction
As a key area of emphasis, Ready4Reading seeks to combine systematic, explicit phonics instruction with highly decodable texts to help students master essential foundational reading skills. Through high-level instructional routines that emphasize a four-part gradual release model (teach, practice, apply, and prove), the program aims to develop these foundational skills while simultaneously developing comprehension. As it relates to these areas, research demonstrates clear support for a combined approach of this type (Stahl, 2011; Slavin, 2009; Blevins, 2017; NICHD, 2000; Suggate, 2016; Torgerson, Brooks, Gascoine, & Higgins, 2018). Put simply, systematic, explicit, phonics-based instruction represents one of the most thoroughly and rigorously studied methods for enhancing the literacy development of young readers (Stahl, 2011; Blevins, 2017; NICHD, 2000; Stahl, Duffy-Hester, & Stahl, 1998; Suggate, 2016; Torgerson, Brooks, Gascoine, & Higgins, 2018). Developing children’s abilities with regard to recognizing the sounds within words (phonemic awareness), and then taking these letter sounds and forming them into words (phonics), ultimately forms the basis of students being able to efficiently decode and build fluency as burgeoning readers (Blevins, 2017; Slavin, 2009). While much discussion has proliferated across the field of literacy science with regard to whether “whole - language” or “phonics -based ” approaches are more effective at developing young readers, empirical evidence consistently points to the essential role that explicit phonics teaching plays in developing students’ foundational literacy skills (Ehri et al., 2001; Allington, 2011; Hunter, 2012; Schwanenflugel & Knapp, 2015; Slavin, 2009; Stahl, 2011). A bevy of research points to the ways that an early systematic emphasis on teaching children to decode words leads to better reading development and achievement than a more haphazard approach or one that comes later (Stahl, 2011; Adams, 1990; Chall, 1989; 1996), in part because of the pivotal role that the ability to decode words plays in helping children become independent word learners who can develop as readers without teacher assistance (Share, 1995; Stahl, 2011). Indeed, data indicate that students who are taught systematic and explicit phonics are better able to decode, spell, and comprehend printed text compared to students who receive instruction that is either incidental or implicit (Blevins,
2 Narrative text describing Ready4Reading program components and instructional materials was provided by Scholastic Education and has been reviewed and adapted by the JHU CRRE research team for purposes of presenting this information as part of this evidence portfolio.
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